Speaking at a conference at Bethel College, Acton’s Director of Media, Michael Miller, told the audience that while good intentions are necessary in the fight against poverty, they simply aren’t enough. Miller spoke directly on the topic of foreign aid to developing nations:

Western countries providing financial aid to developing nations seems to make sense, but there is no correlation between the extent of aid and economic progress in those countries, Miller said.

Much of the aid goes to foreign governments and helps subsidize corruption, Miller said. “It’s not actually going to the people,” he said, referring to that system as “crony capitalism.”

And some of the aid goes to subsidize panies, which enter poor nations and provide goods or services instead of promoting the ability of residents to establish their own businesses, he said.

“People are saying, ‘We don’t want any more aid. Stop helping us,’ ” Miller said.

Miller, leader of the PovertyCure initiative, noted that free markets offer the best hope for developing nations and their economies. Allowing the people in the developing world to take responsibility for their own economic progress shifts the focus from foreign aid to local businesses, creating sustainable jobs.

Read “Speaker questions providing aid to poor around the world” in the South Bend Tribune.